Acting President attends chief’s burial

Acting Republican President Edgar Lungu has asked traditional councils in the country not to involve government in their succession wrangles.

Mr. Lungu, said government officials should not be dragged into traditional succession wrangles as the officials were mere subjects of traditional leaders.

He said succession wrangles impacted negatively on the development of the country as more time and resources were spent on conflict resolution rather than developmental issues.

He was speaking during the burial of Senior Chief Luembe of the Nsenga people in Nyimba district yesterday.

Mr. Lungu, who is also Home Affairs Minister noted his disappointment with what happened during the funeral of Chief Ndake in Nyimba where the traditional council was divided and that the traditional values of the Nsenga people were not followed.

Mr. Lungu wondered why Nsenga people failed to come out when discussing issues of succession explaining that instead they ran to the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs to sort out their own problems.

He noted that the responsibility of the Ministry was to ensure there was development in all chiefdoms in the country and not to choose chiefs.

Senior chief Luembe, 66, died in the University Teaching Hospital on Tuesday last week after a long battle with prostate cancer.